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TRACKER helps Hampshire Police recover stolen BMW M5

Date: 23 January 2013

Thanks to TRACKER, the UK’s leading stolen vehicle recovery company, Hampshire police recovered a stolen BMW M5. The discovery also led to the arrest of two men, helping police put a stop to a spate of car thefts in the area. Once again, TRACKER’s partnership with the police is closing the net on thieves and highlights the value of its award-winning technology.

A Hampshire resident’s BMW M5 was stolen using the keys, but luckily for the owner they had a TRACKER system installed. Local police were alerted to the theft and found a stolen Lexus GS300 parked outside the victim’s property. This vehicle had been taken in a similar burglary in Bracknell, a few days before. Intelligence also suggested that the Lexus had been seen with a stolen Mercedes a couple of days earlier.

Once the TRACKER unit was activated, the silent radio signal led police to a small vehicle workshop unit in the Basingstoke area. The police found the missing BMW and uncovered a cutting shop, where the thieves were harvesting parts from various stolen vehicles. A further search of the workshop revealed a Peugeot Bipper and Vauxhall Vivaro, which had both been stolen from the Reading area in the last 12 months. The BMW was recovered and police made two arrests.

“Thanks to the stolen BMW being fitted with a TRACKER unit we were led straight to this criminal workshop, allowing us to recover the vehicle and break up this organised crime group,” says a spokesperson at Hampshire Police. These criminals were responsible for a rash of vehicle thefts across Hampshire and now we are bringing them to justice. This sends a clear message to thieves, as it’s only so long before they steal a vehicle that will help us find them and disrupt their operation.”

“This is another fantastic result for police and motorists, as we continue to help them close the net on vehicle thieves,” explains Stuart Chapman, TRACKER’s Police Relationships Manager. “All the vehicles in this case had been stolen using the keys highlighting the importance of keeping vehicle keys safe at all times. Car thieves will burgle houses just to gain access to vehicle keys, so they must be kept in a secure place.

“However, fitting a TRACKER unit can significantly increase the chances of police recovering a vehicle, providing car owners with added peace of mind. TRACKER is the only vehicle tracking system operated by all 52 police forces in the UK and it was this technology which alerted Hampshire Police to the location of the stolen vehicle. Once again TRACKER has played a key role in catching car thieves and helping return stolen vehicles to their rightful owners.”

TRACKER stolen vehicle recovery systems work like an electronic homing device. A covert transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen places around the vehicle. There is no visible aerial, so the thief won’t even know it’s there. Unlike other tracking systems, the device works even if the vehicle is hidden in a garage or taken abroad, offering car owners the ultimate in peace of mind should the worst happen.